Win Scrumptious Empire Macarons!

One dozen of these melt-in-your-mouth, super yummy macarons could be yours!

Do you have a go-to recipe that you pull out whenever you’re short on time (or energy) that always comes out yummy? A recipe that makes people think that you spent hours slaving away over the stove when in fact it only took a few minutes? A shortcut recipe that produces an amazing meal? Or a recipe that’s just so darn easy to make you can do it with your eyes closed?

Share your favorite faker/shortcut recipe—one that’s yummy and quick and easy to make—in the comments box. Make sure to include all the ingredients, measurements and clear step-by-step instructions. Unclear or incomplete recipes will be disqualified. One recipe is one entry.

Increase your chances of winning by posting your recipe on your blog/website and linking back to the promo here on Rainy Days and Mom Days. Each link is another entry.

Join the Rainy Days and Mom Days Facebook page and get another entry (plus you also get instant updates on all future Rainy Days promos and activities, as well as quick tips and links).

Make sure to let us know about all the extra effort you put in to join the contest, e.g. the blog posts and/or Facebook.

This contest runs from November 2, 2010 to November 19, 2010 November 26,2010. Winners will be announced on November 22, 2010 November 29, 2010.

Rainy Days and Mom Days and Empire will select our favorite recipe to win one dozen Empire macarons. The other dozen will go to a randomly selected winner (all entries will be printed out and drawn, good old tambyolo style).

You can submit as many entries as you like but you can only win once.

This contest is open to Philippine residents only (or you can have your prize shipped to someone in the Philippines, in case you live out of the country). Shipping is free.

Rainy Days and Mom Days and Empire reserve the right to publish all entries. Winning entries may be published on the respective websites.

Winners will be announced on Rainy Days and Mom Days and on the Empire websites.

Comments

something we cook when we’re too tamad or don’t have time to make sauce from scratch =p

Easy “Fake” White Sauce
serves 2-3

1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 clove garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp butter

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can-worth of water

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter.
2. Add cream of mushroom soup and water. Simmer.
3. Serve with your choice of noodles (ours is usually spaghetti, which is a pantry staple)

Voila! “pasta alfredo” anyone? hehe =D

optional:
• Add a can of tuna when sauteing onion and garlic for a fake “Tuna Pasta”
• Add chopped ham or bacon, then finish cream sauce with grated parmesan for a fake “Carbonara”
• Add to seared sirloin beef or pork and serve with rice ^_^

when we were kids, my mom made this dessert for all the birthday and family parties. my cousins and i loved it so much it became the Official Dessert, dubbed “Mango Supreme”, of our super-hero club Squadron Supreme =D

1) Before all else, dice the onions.
2) Peel and grate potatoes (in a cheese grater).
3) Mix about 3-fourths of the onions in with the grated potatoes then add milk, salt, pepper and vetsin. Mix it up.
4) In a pan, sautee some of the diced onions, then pour in potato mixture. Flatten mixture and wait for the bottom side to brown then turn to the other side.
5) When the top and bottom of the hash brown are brown and cooked already, serve with ketchup.

1. in a deep casserole, fry garlic and onions with olive oil until soft and fragrant. add chorizo slices and fry until nicely toasted. You may also add some chorizo lard if using canned, for added flavor.

2. add the lentils, crushed tomatoes and wine. fill an empty lentil can with water and add to the soup. stir evenly.

3. allow soup to come to a rolling boil, then lower the heat so the beans will not overcook and turn to mush.

4. salt and pepper the soup to taste then simmer for about 10 mins to combine all flavors. best served with crusty french bread.

Brown ground beef with chopped onions, with butter. Set aside,
Add cream of mushroom from the can
Fold in the veggie mix
Dump ingredients in a baking dish
Spread the mashed potatoes on top, Sprinkle with the grated cheese

I like making this for visitors because it is so rich and original (I invented this combination and it rocks). The flavors complement each other in an interesting way and guests have always said it’s one of the best salads they’ve had!

French Bean Salad

Saute French beans in garlic and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When done, mix into a medley of raw veggies: sliced tomatoes and cucumber, black olives, capers, fern (pako).
Then top with store bought tomato salsa and bottled pesto cheese.

Oh I LOVE go-to recipes! I’m a first time mom (with no yaya!) so juggling cooking duties with being a mommy can be a tiresome feat! I wrote about it in my blog last September and here’s a recipe that I think would tickle the hubby’s taste buds and fool him into thinking you hired a cook while he wasn’t looking!

Preparation Time: 3 to 5 minutes (or longer: if you’re the type to obsess on how your carrots look like)
Cooking Time: 5 minutes for the sauce (or longer: if you’re using one pot for the whole process)

1. Boil water in a pot while preparing the carrots and broccoli (veggies should be bite-size)
2. When the water’s already boiling and you’re still laboring over the carrots, put the pasta in the pot first. Otherwise, it’s better to boil the carrots and broccoli first and then use the same water to cook the pasta right after.
3. Set aside cooked pasta and veggies and, if you want to use only one pot for the whole process (this applies if you’re trying to be environmental friendly or if you, simply, don’t have a maid who’ll do a whole bunch of dishes for you), remove the water from the pot to prepare it for the sauce.
4. For the sauce (this could be prepared in a separate pot/pan while you’re boiling the veggies and pasta):
Combine tuna (with the oil) and diced tomatoes. Squeeze in some lemon juice then bring to a rigorous boil so the sauce thickens a bit. (No need to salt because the canned tuna has already done that for you.)
When the base of the sauce reaches the consistency that you want it, take it off the fire and add your cooked pasta. Mix to coat every fusilli.
5. You can then add your boiled carrots and broccoli, capers, and olives. Lightly mix it (not too much or you’ll end up with mashed capers).

There you go! Wasn’t that easy? Your husband will be so astonished with your dish and your ability to fit ‘cooking’ into your already jam-packed first-time mommy schedule that he’ll actually think that you either hired a cook or gave the baby away (haha).